County Council, Borough Council, Parish Council – what’s the difference??
Perhaps you are one of those who finds it hard to work out just who does what in the world of councils? Well, here is a brief guide to the various types of council and their broad functions, responsibilities and roles.
Staffordshire County Council or SCC
As its name implies, this tier of local government has responsibility for the whole of Staffordshire – quite an area, stretching from Kidsgrove to Kinver, with a total area of 2,713 square km.
SCC is responsible for producing the Local Transport Plan and for all public transport and road safety matters, including safety cameras, cycle paths, Public Rights of Way, road safety matters, roadworks and reporting of road or lighting faults on the county network.
· It has responsibility for waste management, recycling and any fly tipping on roads.
· It is the registration authority for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships
· It has responsibility for all aspects of social care for both adults and children, including disability support, blue badges, child protection, adoption and fostering, children in care, children’s centres, independent living and public health. It supports children leaving care, those with disabilities and young offenders.
· It is the local Education Authority, co-ordinating school places and all aspects of learning at all ages.
· It has environmental responsibilities including flood risk management, plans and maps, footpaths and bridleways and environmental health.
· Its cultural remit includes heritage and archives, libraries and arts, parks and greenways.
Local authorities are funded through a combination of business rates, central government grants (much reduced in recent years) and council tax. They also generate income through rents, fees and charges, sales, investments and contributions.
Stafford Borough Council or SBC
This is a much smaller area of roughly 600 square km. SBC has a similar range of responsibilities but for this smaller footprint and covers:
· Bereavement services, including public health funerals, bereavement support, end of life care, cemeteries and crematorium management
· Benefits including housing benefit and the collection of council tax.
· Transport and streets, including car parking, transport and streets, (including litter, street sweeping, bus shelters, trees and hedges and animals) licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles, demonstrations and parades
· Environmental and health services is a very large area of responsibility and includes a great many things, such as:
· Animal welfare, dog warden services, animal licences, fishing, pest control
· Noise and pollution control including air, water, land and invasive plant pollution
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